In the Desert Without a Hat
by R.N.Walker
Summary: A oneshot of what happened that day when Atem went "walking in the desert without a hat." My first published story, so please only positive criticism.


While this is not my first YuGiOh fanfiction, it is my first _completed _and_ published_ one (still working on the other ones). This is also my first oneshot– just to get a taste of writing one.

This story came about when I watched the episode during the Memory Arc when Mana asked if Atem went walking in the desert without a hat again. This was basically my idea of what happened. I think the story is kinda cheesy but I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>There was no denying it. Young Atem, the son of Ahknemkhanen, the prince of Egypt and soon to be Pharaoh, was bored. And not just a little bored; completely bored. His father had gone to discuss political issues and land boundaries with a foreign leader and had called most of his advisers to go with him. Even his cousin Seto had gone. Now all left in the palace were the servants and a few other advisors who remained behind.<p>

"What's wrong Prince?" Mana asked her best friend as said prince stared gloomily out the window. Atem sighed. "It's just…what am I to do? I've already solved all my puzzles and riddles, played all my games at least twice, and I'm not allowed to leave the palace until my father's return. There's just nothing to do today."

"Why don't we scare some of the servants?" Mana suggested. Atem smiled but shook his head. Last time, they hid in a vase and waited until someone walked by. Unfortunately, the person who walked by was a foreigner who was offering a gift vase to the Pharaoh and, well, dropped the vase out of shock. Needless to say, the two were in very serious trouble that night.

"Then we can relax in the garden." His friend commented. The prince considered it. It was a nice day outside, and he sure didn't want to spend it indoors. Just as Atem was about to agree, his other friend, Mahad, walked in the room. "My prince, Mana, it is time for us to begin our lessons."

"Oh come on, Mahad. Can't we do them later? We were just about to go outside. It's a beautiful day outside. Who wants to spend it in some dinky old room?"

"You know very well we must practice our magic if we are to one day protect our prince."

"But Mahad."

"No 'buts' Mana."

"How about we make a deal," Atem interrupted, a plan forming in his head. "Let's play a game- hide and seek. All you have to do is find Mana and me before the sun reaches the peak of its ascent. If you do, we'll start our lessons without complaint. Is that a deal?"

Mahad hesitated. Though he was rather close to the prince, he felt there was more to his proposed game. The prince was nothing short of a gaming, even strategic, expert despite his young age. But then again, Prince Atem was ordered by his father to remain inside the palace. And there were only so many places the two could hide. And as much as he hated to admit it, Mahad would rather play with his friends then learn some magic spells. "Oh alright. I'll give you half a minute's time to hide yourselves." He turned and left the room.

"Come on Mana, let's hide." Atem grinned. Mana happily followed behind. "But prince, you didn't say Mahad couldn't use magic to find us. Unless we constantly keep moving this game will be over very soon. And that's a long time to keep moving."

"Don't worry; I don't think he'll be able to find us even if he did use magic." He quickly led her to the stables. The brown-haired girl gasped. "Horses? You don't plan on running and hiding in the marketplace, do you?" Atem smirked as he climbed on top of his favorite young steed. "Of course. Like you said, today's too good a day to spend in some 'dinky old room'. By the time Mahad figures out we're gone, the sun will already be descending. And if he doesn't, we can sneak back in the palace when time's up. But I understand if you don't want to come. We could get in big trouble." Mana was not about to let her friend taunt her and get away with it. And she could care less if all of Egypt had to punish her so long as she didn't have to practice spells. She mounted another horse and the two galloped outside.

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><p>The marketplace was busy as usual– a perfect place for two kids to hide unnoticed by anyone. "Good thinking of putting a disguise on." Mana whispered as she and Atem travelled through the town. Atem nodded; the large cloth he snatched off a clothesline was wrapped around him, hiding everything but his eyes. It would be troublesome if the villagers started gawking at the sudden appearance of a member of the royal family. "It's best if we split up. We'll be harder to find that way." Atem muttered.<p>

"Good idea. Good luck and don't get caught!" Mana and her horse went trotting in another direction while Atem continued meandering just on the outskirts of the trading stalls. He keenly searched for a good hiding spot: one that wasn't completely obvious but also one not so out of the way it was the second place searched after the obvious one. But no place seemed to be the right place. The prince was growing a little restless. He had to find a hiding place soon; who knew if Mahad figured out he and Mana weren't inside the palace anymore. Not only that but sooner or later someone would discover his true identity. Atem looked toward his left, just past the market stalls, and froze. Of course– why didn't he think of it sooner. The desert was perfect– no sane person would ever hide there, therefore no sane person would ever look there.

But what about his horse? He looked around and found a very convenient shelter made of towels just behind one of the stalls; probably an abandoned stall left by a seller. Atem tied the reigns to a sturdy piece of wood. "I'll be back soon." Atem promised his steed. He was only going to be gone at most a few hours.

At first, Atem took absolute care to stay on the very, very outskirts of the desert, keeping very close to the blurred line where the red desert sand mixed with the smoother, slightly whiter sand not touched by the desert winds. But the dunes, which made good places to hide behind, were some ways out. Hesitating for but a moment, Atem dashed for the dunes. He covered his eyes as the wind picked up and began blowing sand towards his face. _This isn't good,_ Atem thought as he took a quick glance behind him. The sand was already covering over his footprints, and if he went any further he would loose sight of the abandoned stall. He sat down behind the nearest dune, his head resting on his knees to prevent more sand getting in his eyes.

Atem waited for what he felt like hours before he heard a small rumbling sound. More out of instinct than anything else he looked out, and instantly regretted it. The red sand began stinging his eyes and was coming at him even faster and harder than before. _Is something out there?_ Atem couldn't help but think. He pulled down the cloth over his mouth. "Hello? Is there someone here? S-show yourself!" Great, now the sand was getting in his mouth.

Maybe hiding in the desert wasn't the best idea. Getting up, Atem cursed at himself for not coming up with a better place to hide. But when he looked toward what he thought was the direction of the stall all he saw was sand. That couldn't be right! Atem gazed around, turning in a complete circle at one point. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Atem didn't know what to do. Should he try searching for the stall and risk getting even more lost? Or should he stay here? Sadly, the prince knew he could not do the latter option– there was no water here, and very soon the desert's heat would rise to a dangerous level.

Clutching his make-shift disguise tightly, Atem walked in the assumed direction of his horse. The wind, however, wasn't making his trek any easier; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting worse. Before he knew it, Atem was staring at a huge, red dust cloud that was coming toward him. He instantly turned the other way but couldn't get very far before the "storm" hit. The winds snatched up the cloth covering him, all the while blinding him and preventing him from seeing where he was stumbling.

"Help!" Atem cried out, "Somebody please help me!" But no one could hear him as his voice was drowned out by the howls of the dust storm that seemed to appear from nowhere. Atem tripped, and before he could register this fact, the sands began enveloping him …

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><p>"Swii? Swiiswii," <em>What is that noise? Is that a bird?<em> Coughing, Atem struggled to open his eyes. "Swiiii!" Everything was blurry. "Where…am I?"

"Swi?" Atem turned his head toward the noise. Whatever was standing in front of him, it was red. "Swii," It rubbed its head against Atem's face. Though Atem was now spitting out feathers at least the bird's feathers wiped all the sand and dust from his eyes. "Thanks," Atem was grateful to the bird. Now he could see…see that the rest of his body was buried under sand. After a lot of struggling, Atem was able to nudge his arms above ground. From there, he was able to slowly pull himself out of the sand. Huffing, he lied on his back, exhausted from his efforts.

The strange bird hopped onto Atem's chest and looked sideways at him. "H-hey…" huffed Atem, "You're…a Skull Red Bird."

"Swii. Swii." Skull Red Bird eyed the young prince with much interest. "But I've only ever seen one summoned from a stone tablet. How are you here?" Skull Red Bird now hopped off the boy and fluttered up into the sky. "No, wait! Please don't go!" Atem called to the bird circling above him. To his complete shock, the bird soared back to him. "Swiswiswi. Swiswiswiswi."

"I'm afraid I can't understand you like you do me." Atem smiled sadly. Though he couldn't understand the bird, at least he found some small comfort in its presence. "Do you perhaps know where the village is?" Again, Skull Red Bird eyed him, this time confused. "Right, you wouldn't know what that is." Atem muttered to himself. "Then do you know where food is?" Skull Red Bird began pecking and scratching at the sand. In spite of his predicament, Atem couldn't help chuckling. "I'm not a bird."

Skull Red Bird looked up at the prince then without warning flapped back up into the air. "What's wrong? Do you-" Atem froze. There was that rumbling sound again, but it was closer. Much closer. Too close! "Woah!" yelled Atem as the earth before him exploded. A huge monster rose from the sand, its teeth and claws reflecting sunlight upon the sand. "Roowwrrrr!"

"It's a Sand Stone!" The monster (even its tail) faced the prince of Egypt. "Roowwrrrrwww!" It raised it claws, ready to strike. Atem braced himself, knowing there was nothing else he could do if that thing decided to strike. "Swii! Swii!" Atem looked up; Skull Red Bird hovered in front of Sand Stone and seemed to be…talking to it?

"Swiiswiswi."

"Rrrwwwrr."

"Swi. Swiiswiswiii."

Atem couldn't believe this. The two monsters were actually communicating with each other, almost humanely. They should be fighting each other, unless…

"Rrwwoorrr." Sand Stone lowered its claw and instead raised a tentacle in the air. Skull Red Bird landed, happy about the perch. "Are you two friends?"

"Grrww." The Sand Stone responded, as if that answered the question. It lowered its claw, as if encouraging Atem to get on it. With nothing to lose, he got on. Sand Stone turned, walking off into the desert. Atem couldn't help wonder how the rest of the world couldn't feel it walking as its heavy steps seemed to shake the earth. "Where are we going?" he asked the monster. Sand Stone made a growling noise in its throat. Atem looked ahead and gasped. Ahead was an oasis– lush trees with fruit and green shrubs with berries grew healthily around a large pool of water. There was even some grass around the pool.

Atem could feel his mouth hanging open. A real oasis, here, in the desert. How has no one found it before? "Do…do you both live here?" He asked whom he was starting to regard as friends.

"Swi!"

"Grr!"

The two responded in unison. Atem smiled. At least he wouldn't die in the desert sands– yet.

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><p>If he was told that one day he would spend his morning playing with two monsters in an oasis in the middle of the desert, Atem wouldn't have believed it. But here he was play fighting with Sand Stone's tail, playing chase with Skull Red Bird, swimming, climbing trees, eating fruit with the two, and riding on Sand Stone's claw, among other things. Atem was having so much fun with his new friends he forgot to check the position of the sun to see what time it was. It wasn't until he and the monsters were resting in the shade underneath the trees did he remember he had to get back to the palace before he got in trouble. "Oh no! I've got to get back home!" Atem said, sitting up suddenly. "Mahad and Mana must be worried about me."<p>

Sand Stone also got up, but unlike Atem it didn't seem worried about his situation. Instead, it was growling. Skull Red Bird was also upset about something. "Guys, what's wrong?" Atem gazed over to where his friends were looking toward. It was an odd-looking cloud of dust coming toward them. "What are those?"

The cloud was created by a herd of monsters, more specifically a whole bunch of Burglars. The leader of the pack grinned devilishly at the resting trio. He approached them without any fear, practically cockily. "Nrah! Nrah nrah!" It screeched.

"Grroorrww!" Sand Stone growled. It lashed its tentacles, but the Burglar dodged them with ease. "Swiiiiiii!" Skull Red Bird pawed the branch restlessly, puffing itself up and flexing the sword-like feathers under its wings. Atem tensed. A battle was about to ensue, that was certain– he could sense it. But even with Skull Red Bird and Sand Stone, he was defenseless. And there were so many Burglars, more than twenty.

"This oasis belongs to Skull Red Bird and Sand Stone," Atem said, "And I don't think they want you here. Why don't you leave and find another place." The leader Burglar leered at Atem then pointing at him said "Nrah nrah! Nrah nrah nraah!"

"Swi swiiswi swiii."

"Nrah."

"Grrrrr."

"Swiswi."

"Nrah nrah nraaaahhhh!"

The Burglars launched themselves at the three. Immediately Sand Stone slashed at them and Skull Red Bird shot its swords at them. Atem stood behind the two, uncertain of what to do. Skull Red Bird may have its swords and Sand Stone its size, but the two were greatly outnumbered. And the Burglars were fast, they easily dodged Sand Stone's powerful but slow-moving attacks. One Burglar managed to get around the stone monster. "Nrahhh!" It cried as it charged toward the boy. Atem's body moved by itself– he reached out and grabbed one of Skull Red Bird's fired swords and swiped at the Burglar. The rat monster blocked the attack but quickly realized it wouldn't be able to take down the boy as easily as before.

The battle was fierce. The Burglars were slowly gaining ground, but Atem, Skull Red Bird, and Sand Stone weren't backing down. _We can't let them take the oasis._ Atem didn't stop thinking as he swung his sword at the advancing monsters. He barely registered that the wind was picking back up. "Nrah?" The leader Burglar sniffed the air. "Nrahnraah! Nrahnraah!" It cried, and the other Burglars began to retreat. "What? They're leaving?" wondered Atem. "Why?"

To answer his question, a giant sand cloud came rumbling from behind. Again, Atem shielded his eyes as the sands whipped around him. "Wha-whaa!" The prince felt his feet leaving the ground. His entire vision turned red. And very slowly, it began to turn black…

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><p>"Mnn…" Atem moaned as he opened his eyes.<p>

"Mahad! Mahad, I found him!" Atem looked up to see Mana and Mahad running toward him. "My prince, where were you? We were looking all over the kingdom for you." Mahad said, worry etched on his face.

"We found your horse just walking the streets, and it led us here." Mana said, supporting her friend on her shoulders. _So he must have gotten free and gone for help,_ thought Atem. He struggled to his feet. "Well," Atem chuckled weakly, "At least we don't have to do lessons."

"That is not important right now," Mahad said, "What is, though, is getting you back to the palace."

"What happened to you?" asked Mana.

"I was hiding behind the sand dune over there," Atem explained, managing to stand up by himself now, "But I somehow ended up lost. I walked around a bit when this giant dust storm came out of nowhere and I passed out. I woke up and found myself completely lost in the desert when I saw a Skull Red Bird. It was friends with a Sand Stone, and the two live together at an oasis surrounded by fruit trees, and we all started playing together. But then the oasis was attacked by a bunch of Burglars who were trying to take over. So Skull Red Bird, Sand Stone, and I had to defend their home. But right when the Burglars retreated, another dust storm appeared and I woke up here."

Mana and Mahad were momentarily speechless. Mana reacted first. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked while placing her hand on his head. "You do seem a bit warm. Were you wearing a hat? Where's your cloth?"

"It was blown away by the wind," Atem knocked his friend's hand away, "And I'm pretty sure I'm fine. It was only a few hours."

"Yes, a few hours in the hot, desert sun," Mahad frowned, crossing his arms. "Let's get you home right way, my prince. I fear you're not as well as you think you are."

The three climbed onto their steeds and trotted back toward the palace. Those events did happen, Atem thought…didn't they? He wasn't sure anymore. His friends were probably right in that he was out in the sun too long and he dreamt the entire thing. Sighing, the young prince followed his friends home. Shame he didn't look behind him or else he would have seen the gleaming orange sword being covered up by the shifting desert sands.

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><p>Please leave nice comments and reviews! R. Out!<p> 


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